A Norfolk grandfather has issued a stark warning to users of a popular internet trading site 10 months after parting with £8,000 for a motor home he has never received.

Mike Young, a grandfather-of-four sent a money order to a bank account in Amsterdam in response to an advertisement for a motor home on eBay.But he never received it and 10 months later he's still no closer to getting his money back despite a stream of emails between the police here and in Holland.It comes a week after shoppers using eBay this Christmas were urged to protect themselves after it was revealed scammers tricked people in the county out of £50,000 in the past year.

Norfolk police received 42 complaints from buyers and sellers left out of pocket by fraudsters in the 12 months to October 2007.Mr Young, 60, from Drayton Wood Road, Hellesdon, said: "I was scammed and I was silly. I was going to buy the motor home and then sell it on, as I'm a salesman.

"It was supposed to be shipped over with eBay's motors warranty and the sale was to go through eBay motors UK transactions. "I received photos of the inside and out of the vehicle and the logbook and the sale went through on February 6.

"But I got suspicious and through police I found out the vehicle was here in this country and the owners had never advertised it for sale. "I spoke to Interpol liaison officers at Norwich police station and they contacted Amsterdam police, who in August confirmed the account I sent the money to was still open and that they knew about that particular account holder, but still they could nothing about it.

"I'm now waiting for CID to interview me and I've got a whole dossier to send to Norwich North MP Ian Gibson to see if he can help. "I'm not writing it off and lying down. If nothing else comes of this then maybe someone will be warned next time they go to spend a lot of money on eBay."

A Norfolk Constabulary spokesman confirmed it received a report of a suspected case of fraud from Mr Young and said it had made various enquires. But added: "These types of allegations do provide a number of challenges to investigating officers as many offences originate from overseas.

"We would urge consumers to always use a secure computer, follow the security advice given by the site and to avoid completely the use of money transfers or direct banking transactions to pay for goods."

Norfolk Trading Standards is advising people to use a credit card as this offers additional protection through the credit card company, if things go wrong.Bosses at eBay said the firm was working hard to protect consumers from fraud and has placed advice on the site.

A statement said: "The level of transparency on eBay is far greater than anywhere on the high street and this year we have so far helped to secure over 200 arrests."

I became aware of a similar scam back in March by a seller going by the name of William Malloy.

On further investigation the address he gave me did not tally up and pointed towards a school area in Amsterdam.

He said he was going through ebay and I was fully covered under ebay as I was purchasing it through their site.I was sent a web page from ebay allegedly covering me for this transaction .On enquiring with ebay this was, as suspected, a hoax, and the "agent" mentioned did not exist.

He even requested payment via Western Union money transfer.

I reported the incident to Dutch police who checked out the address but could not do anything?

After checking the vehicle through the DVLA it became apparent this vehicle transaction WAS a scam as suspected.

The shipping details did not tally up with Samskip of Hull.I reported the seller to ebay who eventually disabled the seller and removed the item.

It is frustrating that these scammers can get away with this without the risk of being caught.It seems that the buyer would have no cover at all, and ;if they went through with the transaction, would lose everything.

An interesting experience and one that proved to me that if something seems too good to be true, it very often is.

Of all the things I found out the most important was, Never pay for anything via Western Union Money Transfer as the money isn't traceable.

And there lies the clue. Ebay sugest PAYPAL even trading standards will tell you not to use Western Union!
Have been trading with ebay for a number of years without incident. Common sense and security.

And there lies the clue. Ebay sugest PAYPAL even trading standards will tell you not to use Western Union!
Have been trading with ebay for a number of years without incident. Common sense and security.

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Is it just me. Or are some people just so stupid that it beggars belief.

"here's my 8k for something I have not seen, I will send it to amsterdam or some place in nigeria. You will then send me the motorhome, Thankyou very much"

Is it just me. Or are some people just so stupid that it beggars belief.

"here's my 8k for something I have not seen, I will send it to amsterdam or some place in nigeria. You will then send me the motorhome, Thankyou very much"

I mean come on, come on.

Some people really need an education on buying things.:Blush:

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Yeah, There are people out there that will part with £8000 on a so-called bargain.The thing is, they are normally the people that have scrimped and scraped to try to realise their dreams.Often with young families.

They are the people these ruthless villains prey on.

My Feelings are that ebay, as the marketer of the item, should act more responsibly and protect their buyers while also giving advice.

I tried to make them see this but , at that time, they did not have a help desk for enquiries.

The answer takes days to come back and are totally impersonal and irrelevant.

How many people go to the lengths to check out sellers with "excellent" albeit fictitious feedback and vehicle details etc?

I found it fascinating chasing this up as it flagged up just how little support and general dis-interest you get in a case like this.

Yeah, There are people out there that will part with £8000 on a so-called bargain.The thing is, they are normally the people that have scrimped and scraped to try to realise their dreams.Often with young families.

They are the people these ruthless villains prey on.

My Feelings are that ebay, as the marketer of the item, should act more responsibly and protect their buyers while also giving advice.

I tried to make them see this but , at that time, they did not have a help desk for enquiries.

The answer takes days to come back and are totally impersonal and irrelevant.

How many people go to the lengths to check out sellers with "excellent" albeit fictitious feedback and vehicle details etc?

I found it fascinating chasing this up as it flagged up just how little support and general dis-interest you get in a case like this.

Excellent post.:thumb:

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I would never, ever, hand over a single cent, till the goods are in my possession. End of story.

Yeah, There are people out there that will part with £8000 on a so-called bargain.The thing is, they are normally the people that have scrimped and scraped to try to realise their dreams.Often with young families

AD you forgot one other reason greed, ignoring if the the deal might be dodgy as they are only interested in a bargain for themselves. Not saying that is this case but without the I got a bargain the thief's would have no outlet for their stolen goods.

Personally I exchange the cash with keys after showing proof of ownership. and I have bought vehicles, boats and motor home. Never gone amiss. Had one or two tense moments due to lack of communications.

Have had offers from africa, and told them where to go, as with stupid questions

Hi
We tried to buy a truck camper a few weeks ago, it was on a site in the London area. We were under the impression the camper was there, when we contacted the seller, we told him we will come and look at the camper and bring the cash. He came back to us, saying, that he has had to go back to Spain. We smelt a rat, but said we will come to Spain to look at it and did he want £ or euro. He then told us that it was in a secure compound in London, and we could not get in to view it (this rat smelt BAD) But we would love to buy this camper!!!!
He then made the mistake that convinced us it was a scam, he said that the only way to pay for it was through the selling sites own secure paying system, this SHOULD be foolproof ----------but we had spent ages looking at the selling sites small print (unusual for me) Hidden in there was a small fact,"we do not operate any kind of secure payment". So we had to give up on this camper and reported the seller to the site, they later confirmed it was a scam.
The first thing that made us fairly sure that all was not well was when we asked for a photo of the makers ID. plate (he could not supply it)
We later saw the same camper on Ebay USA, same pictures etc. the scammer had just taken those pictures, in fact, the whole ad. (no ID. plate picture) and transfered it to this London site.
We are STILL looking for a truck camper!!!!!! but still hold our money:thumb:
Sorry about the long story:Blush:
Nigel

Yeah, There are people out there that will part with £8000 on a so-called bargain.The thing is, they are normally the people that have scrimped and scraped to try to realise their dreams. Often with young families

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The main difference being that people who have 'scrimped and saved to realise their dreams' aren't daft enough to simply whack off £8k for something they have never laid their eyes on.

No sympathy for the dummy who did this. They got what they deserved....a right stitch up.